Last Dance
by Anya Catalyn
Summary: A young woman tries to leave behind a high school love, and turns to PreCrime for an escape.
1. Default Chapter

Author's Note: This is just a short thing I wrote during school to pass some time. If the reviews are nice, I'll add more to it. It's a small romance fic for Daniel Witwer before he was involved with Pre-Crime.  
  
It wasn't unusual for Danny Witwer and I to get into arguments all the time, considering we were total opposites. We still are in a way. As teenagers, we'd fight about whom did the algebra problem right, who explained a thesis better in an English paper and, my personal favorite, which lunch of ours was worse. As usual, I was the winner by threatening to punch out the poor boy's brains if he decided to keep debating with me about it.  
  
All of it seemed rather childish, especially since Danny was older than me by two months. I was sixteen at the time and Danny had just turned seventeen. Maybe that's why I always liked to harass him. He used to silence me by telling me I was younger and that I'd never beat him at anything. Then the little battles at school would start every day, leaving my brother and his girlfriend to just sigh, shake their heads and leave us to our business. Like I said, we were rather childish. As much as neither of us wanted to admit it, we had a lot of fun teasing each other about anything that could get on each other's nerves. At one point, we got into a small fistfight and Danny, being stronger and bigger than I was, easily pinned me down, much to my dismay.  
  
See, none of this was unusual and over time, we got closer because of it. I learned that Danny wasn't the quiet, intellectual, school focused boy I thought he was. Danny also discovered I had more on my mind than theater games and being as loud as I possibly could be. Still, we were complete opposites who hardly ever got along. Call me crazy but I really have to believe in that cliché saying that 'opposites attract'. That's for magnets, not people, right? Well... I believe in it anyway because eventually, Danny got the nerve to ask me out.  
  
Now, it wasn't one of those silly things where the boy says, "Will you go out with me?" and the girl says, "Oh yeah!" and suddenly you're boyfriend and girlfriend. Danny asked me out on a date and it was rather romantic if I do say so myself. Normally, I can do without the candlelight dinners and seeing a movie since it's far too, well, cheesy. He knew how I felt about this, somehow, and instead, we went dancing. It was like the scene out of Titanic when Jack takes Rose down to the third class and they all dance around to the upbeat folk music. All I remember is being so thrilled and caught up in the moment of Danny spinning me in circles.  
  
Since that time that we went out together, Danny and I had been a well- known couple up until the end of our senior year. We were voted as the "Most Likely To Get Married" couple in our class, too. Everything was going great until we were at the Senior All Night Graduation Party when he decided to spill the news to me.  
  
"I... uh... I got my acceptance letter to St. Andrews Presbyterian College the other day," Danny said while music played in the background.  
  
Raising my head from its resting spot against his chest, I knew what was probably coming next. "That's the one in Washington D.C., right? The one clear across the country?"  
  
Danny nodded, his eyes cast downward in guilt.  
  
"Well, what are we supposed to do now? You said you and I were going to stay close to each other so that we wouldn't have to deal with the long distance relationship. What changed your mind?" It wasn't exactly what I wanted to say to him. In fact, I was wishing I could just pull away and walk out of the ballroom so I wouldn't have to hear his excuse.  
  
"It's a good college, you know... A place where my father probably would have wanted me to go if he were still alive."  
  
Danny's father was a touchy subject for him. He had been shot and killed on the steps of his church in Dublin, Ireland when Danny was thirteen. It was only two years later that Danny moved to New York to find a better life with his mother. Usually, we only talked about it if he brought up the subject but I doubt Danny wanted to continue expressing his feelings about what his father would have wanted.  
  
While we danced together still, I tried to think of something to say. I wanted to say anything that would make him stay with me so that I wouldn't have to fear him leaving ever. But who was I to tell him anything different? This was Danny's life, not mine.  
  
"If you really want to go, Danny, then you should go."  
  
Danny raised his eyebrows, looking rather shocked. "W-What?"  
  
"Hey, I happen to know you very well and I don't want to hold you back from anything that you want to do. All through the high school time that we've known each other, you've talked about being in law enforcement or a doctor. You've taken all the classes here to prepare you for it so just go."  
  
"Shae... I don't think you realize what is going to happen if I leave."  
  
I rolled my eyes at this. We had just graduated and I was in the top one hundred of my class. Somehow, he thought I didn't know much. Of course I knew what all of this meant if the first love of my life left across the country. "It means we'll have to break up."  
  
"Not necessarily."  
  
"Oh? Then how do you expect to maintain a firm relationship when you're constantly hard at work with whatever you're planning to do?"  
  
There wasn't an easy answer for that. As hard as he searched, Danny couldn't find an answer to my question.  
  
At that point, I knew this was our last dance. 


	2. Chapter 2

Years later, I had grown into a spunky (if I do say so, myself) young woman capable of handling the most intense situations. My appearance hadn't changed much; I still had short, brown hair and, as people have said, intense hazel eyes that "bore into your soul"... Whatever that means. I've made my life how I always dreamed by living on my own in a small, one-bedroom apartment in the city. This was all after my years spent in an intense military-type camp to train the mind and body for something I _really_ wanted to do.

Pre-Crime: The only way to stop murders before they happen. Innocent lives are saved everyday because the murders can be predicted by some "gifted" people called the Pre-Cogs... I think.

As you can see, I've done a limited amount of research for the amount of time I've been there.

Since high school, I've avoided relationships all together to focus on my college education and intense training. One could say it was all because of Danny Witwer that I refused to open myself up to people again, but I think otherwise. Danny was nothing more than a high school sweetheart that didn't have the decency to wait until after prom night to dump me. I'm not bitter anymore, because I understand why college was so important to him. It changed my life by going to a University, so whatever he learned across the country had to be worth it, right?

When I turned twenty-two, I moved across the country as well to settle in Washington D.C. after Pre-Crime had accepted me into their program. I was living a life of adventure everyday, like some kind of police movie. But I always felt like there was something missing, and it might have been because I spent so much time on my own. I didn't take time to make friends, and my coworkers were only my coworkers. This change in myself since high school caused me to shy away from people and focus only on my work. I always wondered if it was because of Danny and my desire to somehow meet up with him again (It sounds a little crazy, I know), or if I just wanted to avoid getting attached to someone and getting hurt again. Either way, it was slowly becoming a rather uneventful life outside of Pre-Crime. By day, I was Shae Michillen, Pre-Crime officer, and class B ranking. And at night? I was Shae, the pretty bachelorette who was also a shut-in. What kind of life was that for someone in their prime, anyway?

Still... I couldn't bring myself to ever accept someone into my heart again, even if they were only a friend. Being turned away from so many people in my earlier years made me realize that all people change, and most don't accept you afterwards. So I was always prepared for the worst.

Except that particular morning when I came into work and saw _him_ at in the cafeteria, getting a cup of coffee.

Oh, shit. Not here, not now...

I tried to turn away quickly to avoid being seen. After all, my morning cup of caffeine and sugar could wait, so long as I didn't have to get involved with my old flame. It had taken years to get over Danny (or what I thought was "getting over" him) and all that work would be put to waste if I looked at him again. My feet shuffled as usual while I ducked down behind the crowds of workers, hoping that he wouldn't catch sight of me. However, my attempts were futile when I came face to face with my boss, Peter Brunson, who caught me by the shoulder and whipped me around at a dizzying speed. I blinked, staring at the fifty-something-year-old man, forcing an awkward and lopsided smile.

"Yes, sir? Good morning…" My voice went a pitch higher with my politeness as it always had. "Are we expecting a mission today?"

Brunson shook his head, wrinkles forming all over his face when he smiled back at me in amusement.

…I suppose I'm funny looking?

"No, my dear. Actually, there is someone that I need you to meet, as he will be joining your team and I believe getting acquainted early will make teamwork a bit easier for you."

In my mind, I was visualizing myself slamming my head repeatedly into the closest table. Constantly, I was reminded that my teamwork skills were not the best because I always thought that if things were done my way, they would be done right. Missions had almost always gone wrong and gotten someone hurt because I was not level-headed in the field but because of the success, the directors of Pre-Crime kept me around. We always caught the damn killer in time, so what was there to complain about? Well, needless to say, I never earned my Christmas bonus due to my performance reports but did that bother me? Hell, no. Money is shit, anyway.

Realizing that my boss was staring at me while my mind wandered, I let out a short and painfully fake giggle. Luckily, he ignored it and motioned for me to follow him out of the cafeteria and upstairs. Through the long corridor made of glass, the two of us came upon a rather large office (not too far from my own) that had been empty for the last couple of months. Peter knocked on the door, and then allowed himself in while I peeked inside from the doorway. Boxes littered the desktop and I could catch a glimpse of a photo frame in one of them, but was not able to make out who was in it.

"Daniel Witwer, this is your new partner, Shae Michillen," Peter said in his cheerful, old-man tone, stepping aside.

My heart was suddenly caught in my throat. I couldn't breathe. Those adoringly beautiful blue-green eyes and that baby soft, light brown hair that I remember running my fingers through. It _was_ Danny, but he was so much older. He was well-built, stronger-looking but still wore that same, serious expression.

His hand was outstretched towards me and without hesitation; I took it, his warmth against my skin giving me a feeling of serenity. We shook hands firmly and with professional expressions worn on our faces. Peter did not seem to realize that we knew each other earlier in life, and I think Danny, like myself, preferred to keep it that way. I could see it in Danny's gaze- a nervousness behind it. Neither one of us exchange words for no words came to mind for me, and Danny was just a stubborn man. However, the ringing of Peter's pager saved us from any sort of pretending we would have to do in front of our boss. I didn't want my history with my new partner to jeopardize my career because of a few harmless kisses exchanged back in high school.

"Get to know each other well, for you will be working together closely for quite some time," Peter addressed the two of us, his friendly smile disappearing when he read the number on his pager. "Oh, the wife demands that I answer her calls. Excuse me, kids."

I waited until Peter's footsteps were only a faint echo in the corridor before I stepped in Danny's office completely, slamming the door behind me. My ears were burning, my jaw set out of anger that he would dare come back into my life, just to torment me. Or that was what my mind was telling me, even though it would never be true.

"Daniel, what the _fuck_ are you doing here, of all the places in the world? You chose to barge in on my uphill climb to success! You never could stand the idea of me being better at something than you…" I seethed, the words spilling out like an uncontrollable flood.

Leaning against his cherry-wood desk for support, Danny crossed his arms over his chest and stared me down. When he looked at me that way, I always felt smaller than him, but I wasn't about to back down. I was a grown woman now.

"Answer me, you bastard!"

He shook his head at me, sighed and once again, locked his gaze with mine. "Still selfish, aren't you?"

Danny was watching my rage build up, provoking me to explode in front of him just to prove that he still had power over me. Instead, I took in a deep breath and put my hands on my hips to hold myself higher. "Selfish, eh? Was I selfish when I let you go in order to go pursue your dreams, Danny? To stop what we had in order to allow you to be distraction-free?"

There was that awkward silence again. I refused to wait for him to come up with an excuse, so I turned and left his office. There were better and more important things to do than argue with him. I made sure to slam his door extra hard as I left, stomping down the hallway towards my own office.

That night, as I lay in my bed while adorned in a silk nightdress, my hazel eyes stared at the white ceiling in wide wonder. It almost amazed me that Danny and I had similar schooling and military-like training, and yet I never expected to see him again in my life.

Well, I was stupid to think that way. Deep down inside me, though I'd never admit it aloud, I wanted to see Danny again and now that I had received my wish, I didn't know how to react. After nearly ten years, I was still angry at him, even when I had been the one to end our perfect relationship. All that was leftover was tears from the aching loneliness and random bursts of rage. At least, that's how I felt. I hadn't exactly bothered to ask the guy how he was, or where he stood on martial status. Then again, Danny never struck me as the type of guy to settle down- work always came first. Maybe that was why it had been so easy to break up… When it came to love, I wanted to come first before the love of a career. To me, one dies and all that hard work is for a few moments of bliss, while love lives on forever.


	3. Chapter 3

After arriving to the Pre-Crime Division central command center, I went straight into the cafeteria for my beloved coffee. A small sigh escaped my lips as I stared out at the city skyline through the nearest window, one hand holding the ring on my necklace in a loose grip. It was a simple gold band with three diamonds in it which represented love, trust and honor. When I thought back to the time when I received it, butterflies would flutter in my stomach and I would feel momentarily happy. Maybe that was why I kept it… I just refused to wear it on my finger anymore. After all, he didn't wait for me, did he? Not like he had once promised when we first began dating. Back when I was a lowly sophomore and he was a well appraised senior.

Snapping back to reality with a short gasp, I dropped the coffee mug onto the ground and watched it shatter, coffee spilling onto the floor. I felt myself stumble backwards, clenching the ring even tighter in my hand. A few other workers turned and I felt their eyes on me, either concerned or puzzled of what just occurred. Tammy, my co-worker and whom I actually considered to be a friend, was standing nearby while talking with her co-agents when she heard the breaking of glass. Jogging over to me, Tammy placed a hand on my shoulder, "Michillen, are you all right? What's the matter with you?"

"N-Nothing. I'm fine. Just lost my grip," I quickly lied, looking down at the broken glass.

Tammy frowned. "I see. Why don't you head upstairs? I'll get someone to clean that mess up for you."

Nodding, I left quickly left the staff room, embarrassed. I wasn't so nervous and jumpy until lately.

Later that morning, I stood in the dark area where murders were predicted, "The Temple", sitting in my office chair while looking at one particular murder I had prevented earlier. Another stabbing... Well, they hadn't prevented the rape that took place beforehand. One hand clenched my ring on my necklace as I sighed in slight frustration. During this, Tammy had walked slowly up the stairs to the Pre-Crime room, carrying what was left of a sandwich. She finally reached the top of the stairs, seeing me sitting by myself. "Hey Shae, Everything all right? You seem a bit dazed today."

I jumped in surprise, letting go of the ring and turning off the murder recording. "Yeah, I'm just fine."

Tammy smiled weakly at me, and I knew she was thinking better than to ask me about what I had been looking at. Sometimes the only way to recover was to face your fears, but not many people knew exactly what my fear was. The blonde walked up to the window overlooking the three Pre-Cogs and gazed sadly down at them. "You know, I always feel sorry for them... They have to see all these horrible murders over and over again... They can't have normal lives like most of us..."

"I've heard they've seen them all their life," I stood up and walked next to her. Tammy was only trying to make conversation, so I made the decision to humor her. "You know, we're only using them. Sometimes, I feel guilty about working here but... You know, its one step closer to preventing any mishaps against innocent people."

"Shae, what happened to you couldn't have been prevented, you know… It doesn't mean that you have to shut everyone out and devote yourself entirely to your work."

I cast Tammy a sideways glance, my expression of annoyance clear. There was never a point in my life where I enjoyed being a damsel in distress because I believed that I was strong enough to take care of myself. But when people brought up "what happened" to me, I got angry because it wasn't an accident. I should have been prepared. I shouldn't have been distracted by thoughts of Danny that night.


	4. Chapter 4

I ran my hands through my hair out of annoyance, walking out of the building as night fell over the giant city. This part of town was more old-fashioned with the hybrid cars, buses and non-moving sidewalks. It was nice, I thought, watching twilight fall behind the skyline. Sitting down on a bench, I waited for the sky-train that could take me to my apartment (the more futuristic side of town).  
Technology was booming in the city, as was crime, which required cops and detectives alike to crack down on felons. My job was also easier these days, even as I was being promoted (despite my reckless and tactless behavior).  
The sky-train pulled up at the station and I stepped on, finding it mostly empty. Thankful for an open seat, I collapsed on to the seat and sighed. Reaching into my bag, I pulled out a book and opened it to the bookmarked page before beginning to read it.

The lights to the train began to show through the darkness across the dimly lit station, just ahead of where I had been. The air blew up the skirts to the black trench coat of a man as he stood there, the bright lights of the train in front of him creating his shadow on the hard wall behind him. The train slowly came to a stop, the sound muted from the technology onboard. The doors opened in front of the man, signaling him to come aboard, his feet taking silent steps as he made his way to the wide open doorframe ahead of him. Taking a slightly larger stride to get inside, he took hold of one of the steel poles, resting casually next to it. The train was empty as the dark-haired man glanced around, his eyes resting on me where I sat in the back. His body swayed slightly as the train began to pick up once more, his dark eyes fixed on me.  
Pursing his lips a little, he reached up with his free hand and pulled out the cigarette that had been resting comfortably there, exhaling a small breath of smoke.  
Danny, shaking his head a little at the sight of his colleague, turned away from me and faced towards the front of the train, further refusing to acknowledge my presence. My work ethic at the police station facility was less than acceptable behavior, as I continued to again and again break the rules and disobey orders from higher ranked people, such as himself.  
Not that this was anything new. I had always been a stubborn little girl at heart... as far back as we both could remember.

Glancing over to the young man that recently stepped on the train, I immediately recognized him. The scent of the cigarette reached over to my side and I smiled slightly to myself, the smell bringing back memories. There had once been a time when we had been able to work together peacefully but those days were long over. Now it was impossible because we were both scorned by the past.  
Still, that didn't stop me from getting up from the seat I was in and approaching Daniel Landis. He was trying to ignore me, I knew, but it was impossible to pretend like I wasn't there. I had that electrifying and attractive personality.  
"Are you still mad at me for what happened today?" I teased him with a smirk. Yelling at him obviously did not irk the man, but my sickeningly sweet attitude would. When he didn't reply, I grabbed the opposite pole and childishly swung around in front of him.

Danny jumped at the sound of my voice, turning to see me standing right behind him. He narrowed his eyes and then looked away once more.  
"If it weren't for you, there wouldn't be thousands of dollars being spent to replace the training room you so gracefully destroyed today by doing something I told you not to." He replied bitterly, bringing the cigarette back up to his mouth, staring at the lights from outside move quickly past the windows.

"Well, it's not like its coming out of your paycheck... Just mine!" I said cheerfully, and then pulled back. Clearly, Danny wasn't going to budge and that frustrated me. Before, it was so easy to get to Landis but at this point, he had learned how to block me out.  
Sighing, I stood up straight and stuck out my hand to him, "Accept my apology, will you? I'm sorry... I got carried away... again."

Danny's body moved with the small movement of the train, looking to my hand reluctantly. The cigarette sat between his lips as he turned his gaze up to me through his sunglasses.  
Looking away again, he reached up to his mouth and removed the cigarette. He remained speechless as he put it out on the steel bar before placing it in my open hand. He did not look back to me for a few seconds, lifting his free hand up to his mouth and coughing a little; hiding a smile he was fighting hard not to let show.  
Before I had time to react to his response, the train suddenly jolted violently, causing his arm to be wrenched from the bar he was holding onto, his body crashing into the plastic shield in front of him before he fell back. The lights flickered and the train was making a very high-pitched screeching noise.

I had been ready to throw the cigarette back, or even stab it in the side of his face when the train gave a violent tremble. With a slight yell of surprise, I stumbled over my feet and fell on the gray floor, wincing as my hands scraped slightly from the fall. The lights went off completely now, leaving them in complete darkness, which made me extremely nervous and on edge. Another lurch occurred as I tried to stand and I fell forward again, gritting my teeth in annoyance. Screeching to a stop, the train fell completely silent, hanging a hundred feet above the streets below in a very unsafe position.  
Breathing sharply, I felt forward and grabbed the nearest bar to steady myself. I looked out the window in nervousness, not liking the height that they were stuck at. What made me even more nervous was the reason why they had stopped.

"What happened..?" Danny groaned as he held his bleeding head, feeling the train sway a little.  
In the complete darkness around him, he pushed himself up from the shield in front of him and the door on his other side, before steadying himself, looking out the window. The horizon line was at a sickening angle, meaning the train was dangerously close to plummeting to the city. After a moment as he tried to regain a hold of himself, sounds of wires snapping in the train cart now above them cause the train to sway a little further.  
"Shae! Where are you?!" He called out to me, bracing himself against the glass. "We need to make our way up to the other cart! This train is going to snap at any minute!"  
All throughout the panic of the situation, I bet he couldn't help but feel this had happened on purpose... I always brought an air of bad luck... and that bad luck happened to be a crazed lunatic who was obsessed with me, and would stop at nothing to get to me. Again, not a memory I like to relive very often.

Reaching forward, he managed to grab onto the bar that he had originally been holding to before pulling himself forward. "Shae! Please tell me you're still alive!" He was too panicked at the moment to realize he was calling me by my first name... which was something he hadn't done in a long time...

"Quit yelling. I'm fine," I said, leaning heavily with the tilting of the train. Danny's shadow was against the opposite side of me and I reached out, grabbing his hand. In these moments, I had realized that he was calling me by my first name, which I strongly appreciated. It gave off the effect that he still cared about me.  
Gripping his hand, I pulled him forward up on to the steps, leading him to the door of the next train car. I sidestepped and pushed him forward to the next car first. As his weight came off the leaning train, it gave another violent shudder and started to fall. I gasped out of surprise and grabbed the walls, pulling myself up beside Danny. The wind was blowing wildly from the high elevation and I moved away from the broken door as quickly as possible, making sure Danny was safe from the edge. I took in a sharp breath, looking around the dark train car, trying to find a way out of this situation.  
"You okay, Danny?" I reached out for him again, touching his arm.

"I... I'm fine..." He said quietly, stepping away from me, immediately putting up his walls against me once more. It did not matter to him that I had just helped save his life... For some reason, it only made him feel worse about the situation. He felt the guilt inside of him grow, but he was not willing to bring me back into his life. "We need to get to a hospital. I'm going to check the rest of the train to see if anyone else was onboard."  
His eyes met with mine for a few moments, old feelings rushing back to him from their past together. He didn't want to be apart from me, but no matter how much his heart yearned for my affection and comfort, his ego was not ready to give up. Tearing his eyes away from my gaze, he held his arm and started to walk towards the exit of the train, in hopes there was a way to get off as soon as possible.

I recoiled, looking out the window as Danny left me. Things seemed peaceful for the moment and I could catch my breath after narrowly escaping a plummet to my untimely death. However, my relaxation was short lived when the train groaned loudly and it started moving again but at this point, they were moving backwards. Instead of going to search for Danny, I turned around to look at the open door that led to the outside. Was I stupid enough to try something like that? Well, duh.  
Running to where the open door was, I poked my head out and saw the ladder that lead to the roof of the train car. I inhaled sharply then reached around, grabbing the bars and pulling herself up on to the ladder. Up I went, pausing when the train would violently lurch on the track until I had made it to the roof. If I could get to the driver, I might be able to stop it. I crouched low to the ground as I moved, careful not to lose my footing with these shudders of the moving object.


End file.
